The more that one studies supervolcanoes the more one understands that the Azores Islands and the sunken caldera of the supervolcano there presents a unique geological formation on the Planet Earth.

There is simply no other geological formation that comes close to mimicking this one. First, you DO have a supervolcano, and it is currently as active as the one at Yellowstone National Park in America. Except, this one is under water.

Furthermore, it is on the mid-Atlantic rift where new seafloor is being formed. In addition, it is at the intersection of the North American Plate, the European Plate and the African Plate.

Claiming that deep sea cores from millions of years ago proves that it has been underwater for millions of years is not quite accurate. You see, the Alps mountains have evidence that they were once the floor of a sea bed. This old Earth is a restless lady. If ground can go up it certainly can subside also, especially in an area of a unique geologic formation that science is only beginning to understand.

As I stated above in 2009, there is little research into the Azores as a location for Atlantis, but claims abound that place it's location at numbers of other places that Plato didn't even mention. The geologic formations are in the Azores to support Plato's story.

Furthermore, this website, http://www.cvarg.azores.gov.pt/seismic/index.html documents the current activity of the Supervolcano in the Azores and it is just as active as the Supervolcano at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming in the USA. The only difference is that it is deep on the floor of the ocean. It is a collapsed caldera and it is still active.

Why can't Plato's documentation be accepted as written. After all, we still study his philosophy. But when it comes to his historical writings, established does everything that it can to deny the possibility that Atlantis is right where Plato said it was. This is not spiritual mumbo-jumbo. It is not an Edgar Cayce prediction. It is a written record from one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived.

Furthermore, Plato describes in perfect detail the scientific description of a supervolcanic eruption. How would he know this? It is time to shake of the bonds of gradualism and to realize that the last ice age ended at the time that Plato says the eruption occurred. There is evidence spectacular mass extinctions and there is evidence of catastrophic climate change at that time also.

This subject deserves discussion and research. Just saying it didn't happen on the flimsiest of evidence is not science, it is denial. ~~ Rayleigh22

With the two descriptions given picture a 'hot spot' passing under a rift zone. Is this what could have happened to Atlantis?

Might a 'hot spot' such as the one at Yellowstone or the one close to Iceland moving under a rift zone cause a portion of a plate to break off and have enough magma extruded from under it to cause it to collapse into the ocean?

The relatively new revelation that Supervolcanoes exist and have erupted in the past should cause the curious, the truly scientific minds, to re-examine Plato as a historian in addition to a philosopher. This especially true because his descriptions of the topography of Atlantis correspond with modern geological descriptions of how the Earth works. Plato did not know this, so how could it be made up?

With the discovery of a Supervolcano near Vesuvius, These volcanoes are not rare. But people still build castles and cities on top of the 'plugs' in their vents...

Thank you, but you may misunderstand the purpose of this page. Our 'talk' pages are not venues for discussion of the subject of the article, they are for specific discussions on improving the article based on our policies and guidelines (which would exclude Muck as he is not a reliable source according to our criteria). Dougweller (talk) 13:53, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

So where should I take my discussion, since only gradualist research seems to be accepted? In addition, I can provide research articles that confirm what I am discussing. Click on the map and observe the recent record of earthquakes in the Azores http://www.cvarg.azores.gov.pt/seismic/index.html

So why is Ignatius L. Donnelly allowed to be mentioned as a source but not Dr. Otto Muck in the Atlantis "Article" from where my post that appears above was moved?

In addition, there is no mention of earthquakes or volcanoes in the "Article". Earthquakes are mentioned by Plato as causing the demise of Atlantis.

In addition, would "Gateway to Atlantis" by author Andrew Collins be allowed as a source? Why should this discussion be removed to another location when my first post was allowed to stay for 4 years? This area of geology is currently undergoing a transformation. Thanks! RAYLEIGH22 (talk) 06:46, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

It was clearly a mistake not to remove your 4 year old post, I've done that now. Fringe sources (some at least) can be used in fringe articles such as Atlantis, but they aren't appropriate here IMHO. However, what was missing is a link to *Location hypotheses of Atlantis#Azores Islands which I've now added . Dougweller (talk) 15:50, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

From the sources I've noticed, they did not mention Atlantis. It took your original thinking to link Atlantis to the sources on the Azores, and geologic activity. I've invited you to make your changes to Wikiversity, where this is allowed. I'd headed the page on Atlantis, v:Atlantis. Its yours to edit, just be mindful of future editors, that may have their own input. - - Sidelight12Talk 01:49, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

May we leave a link from here to the discussion. I really have no problem moving this discussion, I just have a problem with deleting it. Thanks!!! RAYLEIGH22 (talk) 15:34, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Also, perhaps a short introduction to the discussion here left with the link to the discussion would be in order. RAYLEIGH22 (talk) 15:36, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Discussions are archived for review purposes. Please start a new discussion to discuss the topic further.

How far below sea level is the Azores Plateau? How much lower were sea levels 10,000B.C. or even 5,000B.C.? Is there a record of a landslide or tsunami in the Atlantic? Sidelight12Talk 01:38, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

I'd rather not make unexpected changes to the page, therefore I'm putting this into the discussion page.

Further to the Azores hypothesis, I believe you are overlooking a couple supporting points:

1) The weight of the glaciers on the continents. Consider the glacial mass of a 2-4 km of ice on top of Canada, the Great Lakes and New England regions of the US, Northern Europe, Northern Russia, and Northwest Siberia. This is equivalent to an ocean on top of the northern continents. Additional glacial weight would have been exerted on the southern Andes, and on mountains throughout the world. Here are a couple maps of the northern hemisphere during the Last Glacial Maximum circa 22,000 YA, and the relevant Wikipedia page:

2) Please note the glaciation was focused on the North Atlantic / North Sea region. This indicates that something was disrupting the Gulf Stream. Here's a couple maps of the stream-flow, and the relevant Wikipedia page:

Without the warm waters of the Caribbean reaching the Northern Atlantic, Europe would freeze, and the flow of frigid waters from the Labrador Sea would freeze the Atlantic coast of North America as far south as New York. Iceland is a large igneous province created by a plume (essentially a super-volcano) not a continental fragment, therefore if it was covered in a glacier several kilometres thick, it should sink under the weight. Magmatic displacement from both Iceland, and the continents to the east and west of the North Atlantic would have placed stress on the Mid-Atlantic Rise (MAR), as well as other volcanically active areas. Consider the information in the following article:

While the article is about super-volcanoes in general, the information is relevant to the MAR. If molten rock accumulated under the MAR its buoyancy would simply lift the MAR, as region only has water above it, which is both lighter than continental rock, and easily displaced.

Conclusion: Atlantis' rising and falling could be the cause of the repeated glaciations of the last few million years.